Lunya Weighted Silk Sleep Mask Review

May 01, 2023

Wellness > Personal Care

By Fiorella Valdesolo

I’ve written (and read) my fair share of articles about sleep and how to do it better. So I know full well how crucial a good night's rest (seven to nine hours a night, according to the National Sleep Foundation) is for my health and brain function. After a night of tossing and turning, even stringing together simple sentences like, say, this one, becomes particularly challenging. I’ve tried a long list of sleep strategies like avoiding screens or taking a pre-bedtime bath (unfortunately my scrolling tends to also happen whilst soaking, which cancels out the meditative effect) and using devices like earbuds and a white noise machine, all with only moderate success. The one item I have found to be up to the challenge is a sleep mask.

The Lunya is no ordinary sleep mask; I’ve accumulated stacks of those over the years from airline toiletry kits and spa visits and they do an adequate job of blocking out the light (which is important for creating hormone balance and melatonin production). But good-quality sleep still eluded me. I’m speaking instead of a weighted sleep mask, which takes the basic sleep mask and fuses it with a weighted blanket.

$88 at Lunya

I first saw the Lunya weighted sleep mask where I so often see things that I feel compelled to buy: Instagram. I didn't click purchase immediately though because, at $88, it felt like too much money to spend on a sleep mask. I went for a cheap one on Amazon instead, then another cheap one that looked better than the first cheap one, and I was wholly disappointed by both. My partner, who was privy to my sleep struggles and also my sleep mask buying spree ended up buying me the Lunya as a present in the fall. Still I was, at first, skeptical that a weighted version would make that much of a difference. My body, much like my brain, is in perpetual motion at night with limbs often hanging akimbo off the side of my bed, so weighted blankets have always felt too confining. A weighted mask, on the other hand, turns out to be exactly what my head needs to power down for the night. I slip this Lunya version, made by a brand known for its ultra-soft pajamas, loungewear and bedding, on and it almost immediately shifts my internal gears towards rest mode. While research in this area is light, some people believe that weighted masks offer tight, hug-level pressure that stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system thereby calming you down.

The Lunya mask allows for head movement while still staying in place, which is key for restless sleepers like myself who volley between back and side and, sometimes, stomach. I previously tried and, sadly, failed to fall in love with yet another sleep mask: the popular NodPod, which is silky soft and has four weighted pods (two for your eyes and two to hug your temples). I appreciated the feel, but, unless I slept in a mummy-like stance, it wouldn't stay put; I’d wake up and find it on the floor or smooshed under my belly. The glass-bead filling in the Lunya mask is a Goldilocks proportion—a just-right amount of weight that gently bears down on your eye area but doesn't feel like your corneas are being crushed. The plush padding offers the comfy feel of a silk pillow against my face. The wide elasticized bands keep the mask in place, but don't leave creases or indentations in my hair or skin (which, as I get older, take many more hours to fade away come morning).

I’m a hot sleeper, and the mask keeps my face at a comfortable temperature all night. It's also machine washable; this is essential since my mask tends to accumulate whatever melange of eye creams and face oils I’ve slathered on pre-bedtime (I have one of the darker colors, which helps avoid skincare product stains). Whenever I feel that it could use some freshening up, I toss the mask in the mesh delicates bag I use for bras and hosiery (the brand also makes its own laundry bag), set my machine a short cold solo cycle with a small splash of laundry detergent (always unscented since my skin tends to noticeably reject fragrance) and let it air dry. It's gone through many wash-and-dry cycles since I first started wearing it last fall and the silk has held up, even getting a touch softer over time, like a favorite T-shirt or pillowcase.

I’ve been using the mask for about four months now, a time in which my sleep has been interrupted by bouts of croup (my toddler), walking pneumonia (my partner) and wee-hours bathroom trips (me). But once the crazy coughing symphony, the cries for water and the fears of monsters under the bed have subsided, I slip the mask back on and get to sleep fast. Now, if only it came in a child size.